Process of manufacture of fuel-briquets.



J. B. GANN. PROCESS 0F MANUFAUTURE 0F FUEL BRIQUETS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1913.

1,121,325, Pandne. 15, 1914.

H-HHHHHHHI-THT JOSEPH B. CANN, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROCESS 0F MANUFACTURE OF FUEL-BRIQUETS.

Specicatien of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 15, 1914.

Application filed January 13, 1913. Serial No. 741,639.

To all whom it may concern Be it lmown that I, JOSEPH B. CANN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, in the county of Suffolk and the State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Process of Manufacture of Fuel-Briquets, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention or process relates to a ne1 and improved process of briqueting tine coal, either anthracite, bituminous, lignite, charcoal, peat, or other fuel substances, and has for its object the production of a fuel briquet of such density and constituent properties that it will fully answer the commercial demands for transportation, will stand up in the lire without disintegration during combustion, give cti but little smoke, be resistant to moisture, and to disintegration by storage, and to the particular application of the process for making such new and useful briquet.

The drawings disclose a form of continu-l ous mixing, briqueting and drying machine, which is illustrative of the principle of my invention.

ln the drawing similar letters indicate similar or equivalent parts.

Figure l :h is a longitudinal cross section view of a continuous mixing machine; Fig. 2:- is a cross section view or" a rotary hriqueting machine; F ig. B is a cross section ci a drying machine; Fig. st:- is a cross section enlargement of a mixing valve as shown at 9 Fig. 1.

No. l, in Fig. l, shows a continuous form oie dry mixing and conveying `machine in which the fuel substance and the glutinous substance are received through the hoppers 2 and 3, in passing through this machine the two or more substances are thoroughly mixed.

No. 4, is a form of continuous mixing machine that receives by gravity from No. l, the mixed fuel and glutinous substance and into which the pleaginous bearing steam is introduced through the pipe 5.

No. 9 is the mixing valve in which the oleaginous substance is .introduced and caused to commingle with the steam; No. 10 is a steam pipe leading from a boiler; No. 11 is a pipe leading from a force pump, that supplies the oleaginous substance; No. 13

. is an additional mixing machine that delivers the mixed fuel, glutinous and oleaginous substance, by gravity to Fig. 2, a rotary form of briqueting press; No. l5 is a conveyer Ybelt that receives the pressed or briqueted form from the briqueting press, and delivers it to the hopper of the drying oven, Fig. 3, in which No. 16 shows the completed briquet in a iinished condition.

No. 9, in Fig. 4, is a form of mixing valve, in which No. l1 is an oil pipe leading from a force pump that supplies the oleaginous material under pressure to No. 17, a wire gauze terminal that causes the oleaginous substance to be broken into very small globules in which form it is readily absorbed in and by the steam, which is supplied through the pipe No. 10, and is delivered to the mixing machine through the pipe N o. 5.

My improved method or process of forming line coal or other substances into this molded or briqueted form is as follows: Into a. suitable mixing device I put ne coal, or other fuel substance that it is desired to form into a briquet, and add thereto, in its dry form, a glutinous substance, such as Hour, starch, dextrin, or other glutinous suhstance, and thoroughly mix the same in their dry form. l then admit to the mixing device, steam that has been saturated with an oleaginous substance, such as any of the xed oils, mineral or vegetable oil, tar oil, liquid asphalt cil, water or gas liquid tar, a 'fatty acid, or other oleaginous or tar suhstance. This saturated steam,- by causing an expansion of the starch cells in the glutinous substance, and thoroughly moistening the entire mass and intimately mingling the oleaginous substance through the entire mass. and thereby causing or rendering the resulting briquet to be more resistant to moisture, forms an adhesive binding material. The mixed mass is then submitted to pressure, and the resulting form or briquet is submitted to the action of articial heat of a temperature suihcient to volatilize the moisture contents of the binder.

While I do not limit myself to exact proportions in the substances forming this binding material, in practice .l have found that by the addition to the substance to be briqueted of from one to three per cent. by Weight,` of the glutinous substance in its dr)T form, and after thoroughly mixing, the addition of steam carrying in its saturated form an oleaginous substance equal to from one-half to six-and-one-half per cent. by weight, of the substance to be briqueted, will be suiicient to form, after proper mixing, pressing and drying, a satisfactory commercial briquet that will fulfil the requirements of transportation, stand up in the fire during combustion, be resistant to moisture, and will notdeteriorate during storage.

In practice, I have found that the most satisfactory manner in which the steam may be saturated with the oleaginous substance,-

is to cause the steam from the boiler on its way to the -mixing device, to pass through a valve or chamber in which the oleaginous substance is atomized into a spray by forcing it under pressure through a fine wire gauze terminal that is within the valve chamber. The amount of the oleaginous substance to be taken up and mingled with the steam can be regulated by a suitable plunger pump, or other device, that will deliver a given quantity in a desired length of time.

Having thus described my invention, I

. memes claim and desire to secure by Letters-Pat- 1. A new' process of manufacture, that consists of mixing small particles of fuel substance with a binding material that is made adhesive by wetting and heating with steam that has been saturated with or caused to associate with an oleaginous substance, and remixing the same substantially as described.

2. A new process of manufacture, that consists of mixing small particles of fuel substance with a binding'material' that is `made adhesive by wetting andheating with and remixing the same, submitting the resulting mixture to pressure'and the resulting shape or briquet to artificial heat, substantially as described.

JosEPH B. CANN.

Witnesses WESLEY TYLER, M. O. BIGHAM. 

